Rhett Bomar and the Big 12

by sumo nova

Well, actually, it already went down in the Big 12 this past week. The removal of Rhett Bomar from the Oklahoma Sooners was not only surprising, but it is practically unprecedented. Yes, other collegiate athletes have been removed from their respective teams, but 99% of the time the removal is due to character issues. While Bomar’s dismissal was of questionable character, he was not behaving with ill-intent toward anybody else, nor was he jeopardizing the morale of his teammates – at least not until he was thrown off the team. Past collegiate football players such as Randy Moss, Adrian McPherson, and Maurice Clarette were removed for violations of team policy and unmistakable acts that were not in accordance with the law. What Bomar did, was not against the law, it was against what the NCAA deems acceptable under the practice of amateurism – but it was not against the law. So , I’m here to say what everybody else is afraid to say: What Bomar did was not immoral, wrong, or even selfish, it was what every law-abiding, American, citizen, with a 9-5 does every single day, he cashed in on some money that he did not work for.

Every American is guilty of what Bomar did this past summer. We go to work, we punch in, and if we have the opportunity, we take a couple minutes to an hour, relaxing, drinking coffee and reading the paper, until we get over morning drowsiness. On a good day, those few minutes sum up to 5 or 10, and on bad days, those few minutes might last until lunch. And at lunch, who knows what the average 9-5’er does with this questionable hour. Some of us take thirty minutes to go get our lunch, come back, eat, and get right back to work. And the other 99% of the population either rushes to get their lunch so they can take advantage of as much free time during that hour and after it, before everybody else is working again, or we take as much time as we need eating at the restaurant that is 30 minutes away and then we try to sneak back into the office without being seen. Even outside of work, we avoid working. People call in sick when they are not sick. People come in late and leave early, but their time clock always says 9 and 5, if not a more favorable number of hours. Some of us play video games on the computer, while others get paid for talking on the phone. And there is not a person in the world who has had that extended conversation with a co-worker about anything and everything that has nothing to do with work.

So before every journalists in writes Bomar off as the most selfish big-time player in college football, I want them to reevaluate all of those work trips they took and how they spent their time, and then tell me whether or not they deserved every penny of their paycheck. I want all of you white collar workers to tell me you that have never spent a part of the day checking your personal e-mail, or talking to your spouse. As much as is about working hard to become a success, it is just as American to want to take the easiest route to becoming a success if it is available to you. It is why people go to college, other invest in ventures they have no control, young people take easy entry level jobs, and some people take credit for something they did not invent. It is the American way. So while Bomar pays his dues for violating the laws of amateurism, let us not condemn him for what goes on at every major sports university in , but for what goes on at every major fortune 500 company in the country. I am not saying that Bomar was not wrong, I am just saying he did not do anything the majority of other people do not do everyday. –

In the Big 12:

Rhett Bomar’s dismissal will greatly effect the rest of the Sooner’s season. While the action is not as reprehensible to me as it is to those who are not willing to admit that this is the norm of college football, and that Bomar just got caught, Bomar’s action was detrimental to the team, and that is not acceptable. However, the Sooner’s will move on. Having played against Paul Thompson my self for 4 years in high school, I am quite aware of his capabilities. Having watched him in his college career, he is not the epitomny of a nationally contending quarterback due to his lack of starts. But the man is an athlete. A state champion high jumper, and an all-district basketball player, Thompson is quite the performer. While his field awareness may not be where it should be, his ability to move around, accompanied by the usually outstanding protection of the OU offensive line, is going to allow him to make a lot plays after the defense breaks down due to the fact that they cannot get the QB. I honestly do believe that Paul Thompson will be able to win every game Bomar would have been capable of winning. He may not make all the throws, and all of the checks and reads, but when the ball is in his hands, you can rest assure his athletic ability will allow to make a lot of good plays. If the rest of the Oklahoma offense is as good as it was supposed to be under Bomar, than OU will not have any problem rebounding from last year’s struggles.

I must admit that OU’s loss is Texas ‘ gain. OU was the favorite to win the Big 12 South, however, that slight edge over Texas was due to the fact that OU had a returning quarterback, and Texas did not. With that not being the case anymore, Texas is now the favorite to win the Big 12 South. However, unlike in recent years, that does not necessarily mean that they are guaranteed a Big 12 victory.

The reemergence of Nebraska is an interesting afterthought of the Bomar debacle. They have bounced back from that horrible season 2 years ago, and are not a legitimate contender to take the Big 12 North. Now that the West Coast system is fully in place, and the Black-shirt defense being touted as one of the best in the nation this season, the Cornhuskers stand a good chance to sweep the underperforming North. Colorado is still of course the reigning champ of that division, but their poor press is just an example of what is wrong there, and their tendencies to blow up at the end of the season only open the door wider for Nebraska .